Following news last week that US TV network CBS had signed up a new reality TV show which will stage a global search for a new frontman for Australian band INXS, this weekend there were reports in the American press that the surviving members of TLC will stage a similar TV search for a replacement for Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes.
As previously reported, the INXS show will launch in summer 2005 and will centre on a house in the Hollywood hills where a dozen finalists selected from auditions across the US and Canada, and in London, Tokyo and Sydney, will go through the motions of being trained and, if they are lucky, selected for rock stardom. The overall winner will then front an INXS world tour.
Reports on the TLC programme suggests the show will follow surviving members Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins and Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas as they search for a new third member to replace Lopes, who was killed in a car crash back in 2002. Whoever they pick to work with would then be involved in a recording project with Watkins and Thomas, and a possible televised concert.
Although said to be in production at Fox Television Studios there are no details as yet as to whether any network has committed to air the programme, or when the show would start filming.